LONDON - Jurgen Klopp was pleased with the warm reception Liverpool fans gave embattled goalkeeper Loris Karius in his first home match since his Champions League final nightmare.
Karius has been under the microscope since a pair of gaffes led to goals in the 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the European final in May. He then struggled this preseason before losing his starting place when the Reds spent a record 65 million pounds (86 million dollars) to sign Brazil goalkeeper Alisson from Roma.
Alisson started on Tuesday as Liverpool beat Torino 3-1 in their only home preseason match before being replaced by Karius in the second half. The 25-year-old German was greeted by a standing ovation from the home faithful as he ran on, a gesture that brought a smile to his manager's face.
"I was not surprised, to be honest, but as a human being I was hoping for it, that it would be like this," Klopp said after the match. "I loved it, to be honest. Is it possible being different in a really hard world? Yes, I think it is possible. We showed tonight a really nice face and I liked it. It helps not only Loris, it helps Alisson as well, that you can see this is a very special place. It was a really big gesture."
Liverpool host West Ham on Sunday in their Premier League opener.
Thank you Anfield for this reception! ❤️👏🏻 #YNWA #LK1 @LFC pic.twitter.com/Ex5jIiQNZs
— Loris Karius (@LorisKarius) August 8, 2018